Luggage cases



March 11, 1969 wm 3,432,012

' LUGGAGE CASES Filed Oct. 11, 1966 J! II lg IN VENT 0R.

Roger D. Winter VM VM A w ATTORNEYS United States Patent 6 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A luggage case in which one or both sectionscomprise a concave shell attached to a generally planar frame strip,having inside and outside flanges between which are re ceived the edgesof the corresponding end and side walls of a shell. An outer nib on theshell is locked behind an inside extension of the outer flange of theframe strip, while an offset in the inside flange of the shell permitsthe nib to be snapped past the extension, so that, after assembly, theinside flange of the frame strip restrains inward movement of the shelledge. The outer edge of the nib may be beveled or tapered, to act as awedge during such assembly.

This invention relates to luggage cases and luggage case sections.

In the most popular present day luggage construction, a pair of opposedconcave shells are separately attached to the two halves of a frame,each half consisting of a strip which extends around the peripheral edgeof the corresponding shell, with the strips being hinged together at thebottom of the case and detachably connected together at the top, as bydrawbolts or latches. Thus, each shell and the corresponding frame stripform a concave section of the case. Also, a carrying handle is mountedcentrally on the frame at the top. Such frame strips are convenientlyformed of a lightweight metal, such as an aluminum alloy, by extrusionof metal through a die, being produced in relatively long strips. Thesestrips are cut to length, then bent to shape, to correspond to thecontour of the peripheral edge of the shell to which the frame strip isto be attached and, either before or after attachment to the shells, thehinges are attached to the frame strips, while the handle and latchesare usually attached later. Probably the most popular luggage case inthe world is marketed as the Silhouette, being constructed in accordancewith the Willard G. Axtell US. Patent 2,950,793, with the shells beingformed of either a molded plastic or a metal layer, such as magnesiumalloy, covered on the outside with a plastic layer. One of the framestrips is a tongue strip having a laterally and outwardly extendingflange, to the underside of which the edge of the shell is secured, or apair of spaced laterally and outwardly extending flanges between whichthe shell is secured, and also an inwardly extending tongue having aninner edge adapted to interfit with a groove formed in the opposite orgroove strip. The laterally and outwardly extending flange or flanges ofthe groove strip may be similar to those of the tongue strip, while eachof the tongue and groove strips may be provided with an inwardlyextending wall, at the inside edge of which the tongue and groove arelocated, in order to provide a recess which extends around the luggagecase and in which the latches or drawbolts, the handle support and alsothe hinges may be located, through attachment to the tongue. This recesshas a distinct advantage in that the latches or dravwbolts are disposedin a protected position within the recess, while the offset in thestrips produces considerable additional strength. Usually, the inner orperipheral edge of each shell is attached to a frame strip by rivetswhich extend through the shells and also a lateral flange of thecorresponding frame strip, and in the most popular Patented Mar. 11,1969 construction, the heads of these rivets are covered by a trim stripof plastic, which is secured, as by adhesive, in a groove on the outsideof the lateral flange of the corresponding frame strip. In a variationof such a construction, the inner or peripheral edge of the shell fitsbeneath a narrow outside flange of the corresponding frame strip, whilethe shell is attached by rivets to a wider flange of the strip insidethe shell. However, such rivets are usually not pleasing in appearanceon the outside of a luggage case, while considerable care must beexercised in riveting, to insure that the outside of the shell is notdamaged or marred by the riveting operation. Of course, the hinges maybe attached by rivets on the bottom of the luggage case withoutdetracting from the appearance.

One advantage of using frame strips having a narrow outside flange liesin the fact that, with a relatively wide outside flange, care must betaken in bending the frame strips around the corners, in order topresent a smooth curve, while when a relatively wide flange is bentaround a corner, but is later located inside the shell, irregularitiesin curvature do not detract from the exterior appearance, being hiddenby the shell. As indicated above, the use of rivets to attach the edgeof a shell to such an inside flange produces other problems. Thus,attachments for the edge of the shell, which will be hidden by arelatively narrow outside flange of the frame strip, includes the use ofthe clips of the Willard G. Axtell US. Patent No. 3,207,275, which areadapted to hold the shell in position until an adhesive is set, or theimproved clips of the William A. Bedford US. Patent 3,251,438. However,such clips, while satisfactory in use, still require considerable time,with resultant expense, in mounting the same on the luggage shell, andalso in accurately guiding the clips and edges of the shell intoposition between two flanges of the corresponding frame strip.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide a novel luggage case;to provide such a luggage case in which frame strips having spaced,lateral flanges may be utilized; to provide such a luggage case in whicheach shell is attached to such a frame strip in a novel manner; toprovide such a luggage case in which such attachment of the edge of theshell to such a frame strip requires no clips or similar parts; toprovide such a luggage case in which the frame strips may be providedwith a relatively narrow outside flange and a relatively wide insideflange and in which the configuration of the inside flange is such thatit assists the assembly operation; to provide such a luggage case inwhich the shells may be assembled to the frame strips by merely pushingthe edge of the shell into the corresponding frame strip; to providesuch a luggage case, the shells of which may be readily produced by asimple variation of present production methods; to provide such aluggage case, in which each shell is securely attached to thecorresponding frame strip; and to provide such a luggage case which willbe durable and rugged in use.

The foregoing and additional objects of this invention, aswell as thenovel features thereof, will become apparent from the description whichfollows, taken in connection' with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of a luggage caseconstructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary transverse section, on an enlarged scale, takenalong line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section comprising a portion of FIG. 2, on afurther enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a drawn blank from which a shell of theluggage case of FIG. 1 may be produced, partly broken away for clarityof illustration;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, of a portion ofthe shell blank of FIG. 4, after a trimming operation performed inaccordance with this invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section, similar to FIG. 5, but showing theresults of an alternative trimming operation.

The luggage case illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a pair of opposedconcave shells S and S, the inner or peripheral edges of which areattached to a groove strip G and a tongue strip T, respectively, thestrips G and T forming a frame for the luggage case. A conventionalhandle 10 is mounted on a suitable handle support attached to the tonguestrip T in a recess which extends longitudinally around the case and isformed between the groove strip G and tongue strip T, with the caseclosed. Suitable hinges, being conventional and therefore not shown, areattached to the strips G and T at the bottom of the case, such hingessuitably being the type of Axtell 2,950,793, which also discloses asuitable handle and handle support. A pair of latches or drawbolts aremounted on each side of handle 10, but in spaced relation thereto, inthe longitudinal recess formed by the frame, such latches or drawboltsbeing conventional and therefore not shown. Suitable latches are shownin Garmon et al. US. Patent 3,034,327 and the commonly assignedapplication of John Rosing et al., Ser. No. 546,304, filed Apr. 29,1966. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the groove strip G may be provided withan inwardly extending wall 11 and the tongue strip T with an inwardlyextending wall 12, with a tongue 13 extending laterally from the insideend of wall 12 and provided at its opposite edge with a point 14 adaptedto engage the groove formed by an angle flange 15 at the inside edge ofWall 11. As will be evident, the walls 11 and 12 of tongue strip T andgroove strip G, along with tongue 13, form a recess which extendslongitudinally around the case, in the manner of Axtell US. Patent2,950,793. However, the frame strips may be modified,

so that the inner edges interfit directly, as in the manner of the framestrips of Heitler U.S. Patent 2,829,745, in which event the drawbolts orlatches may be mounted in a position above and transverse to the framestrips. For this purpose, drawbolts constructed as in Axtell US. Patent2,792,248, or certain of the drawbolts or latches of the aforesaidapplication of John Rosing et al., Ser. No. 546,- 304, may be utilized.

The groove strip G is provided with an outside flange 16 having aninward extension 17 at its outer edge, while the tongue strip T isprovided with a similar outside flange 18 having an inward extension 19at its outer edge. The groove strip G may also be provided with arelatively wide, lateral flange 20, just inside shell S and having aninward offset 21, while the tongue strip T may be provided with asimilar relatively wide, lateral flange 22, just inside shell S, andhaving a similar inward offset 23, each for a purpose described below.

In accordance with this invention, as in FIG. 3, the

inner or peripheral edge of shell S is provided with an outwardlyextending flange or nib 25, which may be limited in height, such as0.015 or 0.030 inch, and which prevents the shell from being pulled outof the groove strip, by engagement with the inward extension 17 offlange 16. As in FIG. 2, the inner or peripheral edge of shell S isprovided with a similar outside flange or nib 25, which is similarlyadapted to engage the inward extension 19 of flange 18, to prevent theshell from being pulled away from the tongue strip T. As will beevident, the frame strips extend completely around the peripheral edgeof each shell, so that the limited height of the nib of each shell, suchas the height referred to above, is sufficient to securely lock theshell and frame strip together.

For assembly of the shell S and S to the corresponding frame strip, itis merely necessary to force the nib 25 inside the inward extension 17or 19, so that, as soon as the nib 25 passes the inward extension, itwill snap into position. This may be accomplished in a suitable press,which forces the nib 25 inside the inward extension 17 of the groovestrip G all the way around the shell.

If desired, a jig or guide 26, indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3, maybe placed against the outer edge of flange 16, to force the inner orperipheral edge of the shell inwardly, as it is being assembled to thegroove strip G, while the shell S may be similarly assembled to thetongue trip T. In fact, the frame strips may be held together in therelationship shown in FIG. 2 and the two shells assembled theretosimultaneously. It will be noted that the offset 21 in inside flange 20provides a space 27 of FIG. 3 which permits the inner edge of the shellto be forced inwardly, during assembly, but as soon as the nib 25 snapspast the inward offset 17 and the shell moves further inwardly, theinside of the shell will engage flange 20 at point 28, thereby retainingthe inner edge of the shell in locked position. The space correspondingto space 27 of FIG. 3, formed by offset 23 of flange 22, will similarlyassist in the assembly of shell S to tongue strip T. As will be evident,the flange 16 of groove strip G will prevent forces exerted against theflange, from outside the luggage case, from pushing the inner edge ofthe shell inwardly to unlock the shell, while any force exerted againstthe shell just outwardly from flange 16 will tend to push the shell intospace 27, but contact at point 28 will force nib 25 outwardly, so anyforces exerted against the shell in that area will not cause the shellto loosen. Also, forces directed inwardly against the shell but furtheroutwardly will be resisted by flange 20. As will also be evident, a loadon the shell tending to pull the shell from the frame strip will merelytighten nib 25 against inward extension 17. The ni b 25 of shell S willsimilarly lock that shell to tongue strip T.

The shells S and S will normally be similar in dimension and shape,although shells of diflerent depth may be utilized for the two halves ofthe luggage case, if desired. However, such shells will normally be madein a similar manner, as by molding, through heat and pressure, a sheetof plastic, either an integral strip of the same plastic, or a multiplestrip comprising a thicker inside layer, usually selected for strengthand resistance to bending, and a thinner outside layer, selected forresistance to scufling and abrasion. The outside layer may, of course,be provided with a pattern, such as simulating the grain of leather.Such sheet or multiply sheet may be heated and then clamped around theedges in a press and over a female mold, correponding to the outsidecontour of the shell, so that a male mold, corresponding to the insidecontour of the shell, may be moved into the female mold, to force theunclamped portions of the sheet into the desired contour, such as thatof blank B of FIG. 4. As will be evident, flange 30 of FIG. 4corresponds to the portion of the sheet which is clamped for the moldingoperation. During molding, the area of the sheet within the flange 30 isdrawn within a corner 31 to produce end walls 32, side walls 33 and abottom wall 34 of the blank B. In the press, the molded sheet is helduntil cooled sufliciently to retain its shape, after removal from thepress. Normally, flange 30 is trimmed off by a die along the indicatedtrim line 35, which is as close as practical to the side and end walls,to produce a shell having end walls 32, side walls 33 and a bottom wall34, with corner 31 attached to each. Thus, trimming along line 35 mayleave from 0.005 to 0.025 inch of material outside the end and sidewalls, but this excess material is usually removed by a trimming burr orthe like to produce a substantially smooth outside edge of the end andside walls. It will be noted that the flange 30 of the blank B is notwasted but may be remilled or reground to provide plastic for makingadditional shells.

In accordance with this invention, instead of trimming along trim line35, the blank B is trimmed, as in a die, along a trim line 36, at aposition spaced from the corner 31, i.e. to produce the nib 25, as inFIG. 5, extending outwardly around the inner edge of the shell. Theinside radius of corner 31, as shown in FIG. 4, usually varies from0.015 to 0.125 inch, depending on the mold used, and also dependingsomewhat on the size of the shell. However, the corner 31 of FIG. 5 ispreferably a sharp corner, as shown, having a maximum radius of 0.030inch and preferably as close to zero as practical, at 37, whichcontributes to the effectiveness of the nib or flange around theperipheral edge of the shell, for attaching the shell to thecorresponding frame strip. As will be evident, the permissible variationin the height of nib 25 is sufficient to accommodate normalmanufacturing tolerances in the use of molding presses and trimmingdies.

In further accordance with this invention, in lieu of trimming alongline 36, which is generally perpendicular to flange 30, the blank B maybe trimmed along line 39, as in FIG. 6, which extends at a slight angleto the perpendicular, so that a nib 40 having an angular outer edge isproduced. Preferably, the inner edge 41 of nib 40 is in approximatelythe same plane or slightly inwardly from the outside of end walls 32 andalso side walls 33, so that when the shell S is forced against thegroove strip G, or the shell S against tongue strip T, the surface ofnib 40 will act as a wedge to force the nib and inner edge of the shellinwardly, as into space 27 of FIG. 3, or the corresponding spaceprovided by offset 23 of flange 22 of FIG. 2. Thus, with nib 40 of FIG.6, the use of a guide or inward pressure on the nib, as by guide 26 ofFIG. 3, is unnecessary. As will be evident, as soon as the outer edge 42of nib 40 moves past the inward extension 17 of groove strip G, or thecorresponding inward extension 19 of tongue strip T, the nib will snapinto position behind the inward extension 17 or 19. The edge 42 of nib40 is, of course, spaced outwardly from the adjacent side wall 32 or endwall 33, preferably the same distance as the outer edge of nib 25. Aswill be evident, when a shell having an angular edged nib 40 is pressedinto a frame strip, it will similarly snap into position and be heldthere, to prevent the shell from separating from the corresponding framestrip.

Shells having similar nibs and similar strips may be used in a train orbeauty case, of the general type of Axtell US. Patent 3,029,915,although one shell will be the top shell and the opposite shell thebottom shell, with the botom shell usually being deeper than the topshell. Also, the hinges will be at the rear and the latches or drawboltsat the front, while the handle will normally be attached to the top ofthe top shell. Thus, reference to sections of a luggage case pivotallyattached at the bottom and detachably connected at the top shall bedeemed to include also sections pivotally attached at the rear anddetachably connected at the front.

Although a preferred form of this invention and certain variationsthereof have been illustrated or described, it will be understood thatother embodiments may exist, as well as other variations, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A luggage case section including a concave shell attached to agenerally planar frame strip, wherein:

said frame strip has an outwardly extending, outside flange providedwith an inward extension adjacent its outer edge and an outwardlyextending, inside flange spaced from said outside flange a distancecorresponding to the thickness of the inner edge of said shell andprovided with an inward offset generally opposite said inward extensionand a generally flat border outwardly from said offset;

said shell has side and end walls whose peripheral edges correspond incontour to said frame strip, said inner edge of said shell beingdisposed between said flanges and having an outer nib disposed inwardlyof said inward extension and engaging the same to lock said shell tosaid frame strip while said inside flange restrains the inner edge ofsaid shell from inward movement; and said offset provides a space forinward movement of the inner edge of said shell during assembly to saidframe strip but said offset is spaced from said shell after assembly.

2. A luggage case section as defined in claim 1, where- 1111 the outsideedge of said nib is disposed generally parallel to the adjacent wall ofsaid shell.

3. A luggage case section as defined in claim 1, where in:

the outside edge of said nib is disposed angularly to the adjacent wallof said shell and at a slope so as to wedge said nib past said inwardextension of said outside flange during assembly of said shell to saidframe strip.

4. A luggage case comprising a pair of opposed sections, eachconstructed as defined in claim 1 and pivotally attached together at thebottom and detachably connected together at the top, said frame stripsbeing interfitting along theconfronting edges of said sections.

5. A luggage case section including a concave shell attached to agenerally planar frame strip, wherein:

said frame strip has an outwardly extending, outside flange providedwith an inward extension adjacent its outer edge;

said shell has side and end walls: whose peripheral edges correspond incontour to said frame strip, the inner edge of said shell having anouter nib disposed inwardly of said inward extension and engaging thesame to lock said shell to said frame strip;

said section has means for restraining the inner edge of said shell frominward movement; and

the outside edge of said nib is disposed angularly to the adjacent wallof said shell and at a slope so as to wedge said nib past said inwardextension of said outside flange during assembly of said shell to saidframe strip and the inner edge of said nib is disposed outwardly nofurther than the outer surface, adjacent said nib, of the adjacent wallof said shell.

6. A luggage case section inclduing a concave shell attached to agenerally planar frame strip, wherein:

said frame strip has an outwardly extending, outside flange providedwith an inward extension adjacent its outer edge;

said shell has side and end walls whose peripheral edges correspond incontour to said frame strip, the inner edge of said shell having anouter nib disposed inwardly of said inward extension and engaging thesame to lock said shell to said frame strip;

said frame strip has means for restraining the inner edge of said shellfrom inward movement;

the inner edge of said shell is provided with a corner having a radiuson the order of less than thirty thousandths of an inch; and

said nib has a height, at its inner edge, on the order of fifteen tothirty thousandths of an inch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,758,682 8/1956 Shwayder -282,768,720 10/1956 Nelson 190-49 X 3,194,365 7/1965 Herring 190-49FOREIGN PATENTS 1,432,384 2/ 1966 France.

JOSEPH R. LEGLAIR, Primary Examiner.

